Kitchen Table Activism

Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly project of the Rural Organizing Project. Often building on quarterly themes, short actions are described in each KTA. The theory is that basic steps and tasks can lead to powerful collective results as small groups of people gather to complete the same action throughout the state of Oregon.

ROP works to keep the basic tasks easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still manage to complete the KTA each month.

Rural Organizing Project
PO Box 1350,      Scappoose, OR 97056 

(503) 543-8417
Fax: (503) 543-8419

office@rop.org

WHY THIS ACTIVITY?

2008 is a presidential election year, and many of us have our eyes on the White House, on Oregon’s Congressional Delegation, on important ballot measures, and on strengthening local progressive government. Already there are signature gatherers with petitions out in force asking you and your neighbors to help them get measures onto the ballot that would target immigrants and LGBT people. And the 2007 election is just around the corner with some major ballot measures that will decide land use laws and healthcare options for Oregon.

Throughout ROP’s history, human dignity groups have played a major role in election outcomes for the community, the state, & the country. Collectively through ROP we’ve built a progressive, rural grassroots force to be reckoned with in the elections to come.

WHAT IS THE ACTIVITY?

In 2004 & 2006 ROP partnered with human dignity groups to develop local voter engagement projects that could build a grassroots electoral machine with heart. We took the basics of an election campaign (voter identification, voter registration, voter education and get out the vote) and incorporated personalized communication. We ran localized campaigns that found voters, made sure they were registered, educated and engaged them to put the heart and the pride back into voting. In addition, we added in an extra step- local human dignity groups then followed up with the “Welcome Wagon” and brought new friends into existing human dignity group communication systems and democracy work for the long haul, increasing local group membership.

In 2007 and 2008 we are taking the lessons we learned, the new tools we have (like a public voter database) and the commitment to have an impact locally and in the state, and strengthening our progressive rural grassroots voting machine with heart.

September’s Kitchen Table Activism asks your group to start thinking now about your election plans. Let’s use ’07 to test new ideas & build new relationships locally to strengthen our force for ’08.

STEPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY:

1. Gather your human dignity leadership for a conversation on the elections. Determine if your group would like to have someone from ROP come and support an election’s strategy session. ROP can lead a conversation on election campaign basics, lessons learned in years past, and share tools like the public voter database that can support your group’s thinking and plan development. Decide on a few dates that will work for you in the next few months. The conversation can happen before or after November, 2007. Regardless, we will have a lot to talk about. Select a few dates and contact ROP to schedule.
   
2. When discussing your election campaign be sure to incorporate these core steps:
   
   Voter Identification: How will you identify good contacts for this election and beyond?
   
   What kinds of activities and questions will let you know who to follow up with?
   
   Voter Registration: Where and how will you connect with target populations and id’ed potential voters to make sure they are registered? This could include youth, women, low income folks, etc.
   
   Voter Education: What tools will you use to make sure folks understand the issues at stake in the election? In 2008 ROP will again produce our famous rural voters guide, in addition to supporting ballot measure forums. Get on our calendar now!
   
   Get Out the Vote: What types of activities will get your contacts, now registered and educated, to actually vote? Everything from ballot parties to friendly phone calls.
   
   Welcome Wagon: Bring new contacts into your existing human dignity group communication systems and on-going organizing.
   
   
3. Contact ROP for sample resources to help plan your election campaigns including: Creating Your Group’s Election Campaign worksheet (easy to use and covers the basics!), information on ballot measures, framing tools, doorknocking tools, surveys/postcards as tactics to meet & identify voters, and more.
   
4. Hit the streets and the doors and let’s build our voting machine with heart!
   

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Previous KTAs are now located in the KTA Archive.